Best Betting Sites in Ukraine
Ukraine is the second-largest country of Europe and home to more than 40 million people. From a sports betting perspective, Ukraine has had its fair share of turbulent times, following the prohibition of all sorts of gambling in the country.
The ban on gambling didn’t just happen unexpectedly, but after a deadly fire broke out at a gambling hall in Kyiv. While a new sports betting bill is under its initial phases of seeking approval, Ukraine currently lack legal sports betting sites.
With the absence of local operators, bettors in Ukraine have no choice but to register at foreign bookies that accept players from Ukraine. Good enough, some foreign bookies accept players from Ukraine, namely Parimatch, 1xBet, and Favbet. If you are to register with one of them, then you can enjoy placing your wagers without the fear of persecution.
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Betting and gambling in Ukraine – 5 things to know
- There was the approval of an initial sports betting bill in January 2023
- On December 2019, the government denied a previous bill on gambling proposals
- The new bill increased the gambling age from 18 to 21 years
- A 5-year bookmaker license will cost somewhere close to $23.4 million if the new bill sails through
- The Ukrainian is always determined to regulate gambling in the country
Top/best betting sites for Ukrainian players
Since there are no local bookies in Ukraine, most players choose to play at foreign-owned sites. Ukrainian players love foreign sites due to several reasons.
While these sites are plenty, some tower the rest and seem to have a sizable number of clients. Rolletto, 1xBet, and 888sports are apt example of the best betting sites for Ukrainian bettors.
These not only offer a wide variety of payment options, but also cover more than 100 markets on Ukrainian Premier League. With a good coverage of almost all sports, it’s no wonder that many players in Ukraine prefer them.
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Online sports betting environment in Ukraine
Upon gaining its independence from the USSR, it was legal for both operators and players to engage in every form of gambling that they could think of in Ukraine. Everything continue to run smoothly until 2003, a year that witnessed the first enactment of gambling laws. While this law (number 4204) focused a lot on casino games, bingo, and horseracing, there were plenty of active betting shops running in Ukraine by then.
Despite Ukraine’s vibrant and profitable gambling market valued at around 1 billion USD, Ukraine went ahead to pass a law prohibiting any gambling-related businesses in 2009. If you can remember, this was after a fire broke out at a gambling hall in Kyiv that killed 9 people while leaving others with bad injuries.
Now that there was a prohibition of all forms of gambling, massive gambling black markets began emerging from 2009 onwards. All this continued up until May 2019 following the election of President Volodymyr Zelensky. When President Zelensky assumed office, he vowed to ensure some sort of regulation on the country’s sports betting industry.
The initial amendment of the law aimed at prohibiting gambling in Ukraine faced an automatic rejection since the legal gambling age stood at 18 years. However, after increasing the legal age to gamble to 21 years, plus a few amendments, it sailed through to become bill 2285-D. This took place in January 2023.
Before the final approval, the bill will have to pass through two readings. Therefore, for the time being, there’s no active regulation of the online sports betting market in Ukraine. But for the time being, local authorities aren’t giving illegal land-based operators a chance to do business. They constantly raised these shops and so far, they’ve managed to shut down more than 900 illegal betting shops.
Betting online in Ukraine from a legal perspective
Ukrainian players who want to engage in online sports betting, especially at foreign betting sites are at will do so. There’s no law that prohibits or threatens players engaging in online gambling with fines or jail terms. Specifically, the gambling bill of 2009 doesn’t contain any repercussions that await those who engage in online gambling.
That’s not all. Until the new gambling proposals come into law, then player winnings are under the full exemption of taxes. The same applies to the legal gambling age. Up until the new gambling laws become official, players of 18 years and above can still wager on their favorite sports. Also, operators aren’t subject to any form of income tax yet.
Popular .com bookies currently accepting Ukrainian players
Several foreign bookies target the Ukrainian sports betting market. But not all offer the same set of services. Some rank slightly higher than the rest. The following are a few bookies that score high marks on many Ukrainian punters:
- 1xBet – this international operator welcomes Ukrainian punters with more than 100 betting markets for both local and internal events. Moreover, it offers a website in Ukrainian language, not forgetting the possibility to bet using Ukrainian hryvnia (UAH). Football is not the only focus here. This operator also covers martial arts, boxing, and UFC matches.
- Bet365 – Bet365 is the “go-to” bookmaker for plenty of Ukrainian football lovers. The odds on football here are ridiculously high. This bookie also has a bonus program tailored to allow for bigger bets. There are more than 40 sporting events to bet on here and more than 90 markets on top European leagues.
- Parimatch – Parimatch recently signed Conor McGregor as its international ambassador. Such a move did boost Parimatch’s authority and recognition, especially across Eastern Europe. Ukrainian players love contact sports a lot, and Parimatch remains a top choice for many players. Parimatch offers players a 95+ payout on UFC matches. Players who like to place bets while events are underway will find attractive odds at Parimatch.
Popular sports on Ukrainian players bet lists
There’s questioning the fact that football is the most popular sport not only across the globe, but also in Ukraine. But while football remains popular in Ukraine, the country has introduced to the world some of its best fighters of all time. When you shift gears to boxing, then you’ll hear fighters such as Nikita Andreyevich Krylov, Vyacheslav Senchenko, and the Klitschko brothers, all hailing from Ukraine.
Therefore, it’s easy to understand the reason as to why many Ukrainian players love contact sports as well, with many of them including such sports on their bet slips. Several bookies understand this fact and offer some of the diverse markets on MMA Ukraine, boxing, martial arts, UFC, and wrestling.
Funding a sports betting account in Ukraine
With the absence local payment methods for funding player accounts, bettors in Ukraine seek solutions from international payment options. Some of the popular payment options include Neteller Ukraine, Skrill, and EcoPayz. However, there players who rely on Russian payment options that are popular in Ukraine. Some of them include Moneta, Megafon, and Advcash.
The Russian e-wallet Qiwi is another popular payment options that’s popular in Ukraine. Bookies such as 1xBet and Pinnacle accept it as another payment option. But as a player residing in Ukraine, you need to understand that among all the available payment options, e-wallets come in as the most popular ones. Processing transactions involving credit cards may often come with some challenges, hence a preference on e-wallets.
New/fresh bookmakers in Ukraine
Players on the hunt for new bookies in Ukraine have no reason to worry. Players are fond of new bookies since most of them come with attractive odds and generous offers. Therefore, up until the new betting laws come into effect, new foreign bookies will become easily available in Ukraine.
Betwinner is a good example of a new bookie in Ukraine’s betting landscape. Besides offering a website that’s optimized to Ukrainian language, its provides more than 36 sports to bet on and more than 1000 markets on the EPL, Serie A, and La Liga. Betzest and Svenbest are also new bookies trying to capture the attention of Ukrainian punters.
The future of online betting in Ukraine
The 10-year ban on any form of gambling in Ukraine is a big blow to both online and offline sports betting activities. But recent proposals by President Zelensky along with the approval of bill 2285-D appear to be good signs of something positive in the near future.
While a decision hasn’t been arrived at concerning some details such as the exact date to issue licenses and the tax model for operators, many are optimistic that soon, the government will pass gambling laws. Punters will now be able to bet with freedom with the government realizing increased revenue margins.
Current list of betting sites serving Ukrainian players
Following the absence of local bookies due to tough government measures on sports betting in Ukraine, the following are bookies that accept players from Ukraine:
FAQ
- Are there any bookies with user-friendly websites in Ukrainian language?Yes. Some of the most popular ones that have a page of their website in Ukrainian language include Melbet, Marathonbet, and 1xBet.
- Does William Hill accept players from Ukraine?Absolutely. William Hill is a global brand that happily welcome Ukrainian players with high odds and some of the irresistible generous offers and promos.
- Can I access Betfair from Ukraine?Yes, you can. If you reside in Ukraine, you can easily access Betfair and go on to place your bets.